Extensible hasp and hinge fitting



Nov. 24, 1936.

C W CHENEY EXTENSIBLE HAS:n AND HINGE FITTING Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNI-TED ST PAT FFEQE Charles William Cheney, Soho, Birmingham, England Application August 25, 1934, Serial No. 741,428 lin Great Britain August 29, 1933 1 Claim.

This invention relates to extensible hasp and hinge fastenings for luggage such as attach and suit cases and trunks of variable capacity in which the lid can telescope over the body of the case or trunk to collapse it or extend it, dependent upon the contents thereof.

The invention more particularly relates to extensible fastenings of the type embodying an elongated casing provided with a line of ratchet teeth, an elongated slide telescopically fitting the casing and a hasp or flap hinged to the outer end of the slide, there being provided a ratchet action between the slide and the casing to be automatically released when the hinged hasp or flap is moved into a certain position. In practical use the ratchet action becomes operative when the hinged member of the fastenings is closed when the lid of the luggage can be further collapsed but not extended, whereas the ratchet action becomes automatically inoperative when said hinged member opens.

In fittings of this type as at present constructed, there is the disadvantage that the pawl of the ratchet `action accidentally slips out of engagement with the ratchet teeth due to the necessary loose fitting of the slide in the casing. This drawback mainly arises through the following conditionz-When the nose of the pawl engages the ratchet teeth strain tending to extend the fastenings exerts a tension on the pawl between its engaging nose and its point of pivot with the result that any slight wobble of the slide in` the casing will cause slip in the ratchet action when the fastenings become ineiiicient and the lid insecurely connected to the body.

The object of this invention is to provide for a more effective operation of the pawl on the ratchet teeth so that when the lid has been telescopically adjusted with respect to the body the adjusted position will be permanently retained until the fastenings are released, and the invention consists in a combination and arrangement of parts of which the essential feature resides in the pawl being carried by the slide at the inner end thereof and being operative with the ratchet teeth in such a manner that strain tending to extend the fastenings intensifies the pressure of the pawl engaging the teeth, the pawl being in compressive action between its nose and its point of pivoting.

Said combination will now be more particularly described with reference tc the explanatory drawing and the features of novelty will be hereinafter specifically claimed.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of an extensible hasp lock fastening applied to a trunk, sufficient of which is shown for illustrative purposes.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the extensible hasp fastening with the hasp in open position so that the elements can telescope without the ratchet action.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 2 taken on the dotted lines A-A.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the invention applied to an extensible hinge applied to a trunk.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation, with the elements in position similar to Fig. 2, of a modified form of invention.

Fig. 6 is a back view of a further modification.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the pawl employed in Figs. 1-5.

Where possible, similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, the lid l telescopically nts over the body 2 of a trunk of variable capacity.

The extensible fastenings forthe trunk comprise usually a pair of hinges and a pair of hasp lock fastenings.

The hasp lock fastenings comprise an elongated sheet metal casing 3 closed at its upper end and having a back plate i from which is raised a central line of strong ratchet teeth 5, the back plate being assembled to the casing by eyelets applied through openings 6 in side lugs i which provide means for attaching the casing 3 to the lid l. The lower open end of the casing 3 receives a trough shaped elongated slide 8 to the lower end of which a hasp 9 is hinged by the pin ill. The torsionally operating spring Ii ensures that the hasp normally occupies the position shown at Fig. 2 so that when its staple eye l2 is released from the bolt of the lock i3, in the usual manner, it will have a iiy-off action, this feature being customary with hasp lock fastenings. Disposed within the slide 8 is a first-order lever Hi of sheet metal and which is fulcrumed to the slide so as to be rockable longitudinally thereof by opposite integral pintles l5 engaging openings in the opposite side walls iii of the slide.

On the inner end of the slide 8 adjacent the inner end of the lever it is a pawl il pivoted adjacent the ratchet teeth 5 by a transversely directed pin i8 Whose ends are located in the opposite walls I6 of the slide.

As will be seen from Fig. 7 the pawl is formed from a sheet metal blank and provides a pawl nose I9, hinge barrels and an operating plate portion 2l, all integrally formed.

Surrounding the pivot pin I8 is a torsionally operating spring 22 of less strength than the spring II associated with the hinged hasp, said spring 22 normally pressing the pawl nose I9 into engagement with the central line of ratchet teeth 5.

The inner end of the lever I4 lies within the path of the plate portion 2| of the pawl and the lower end of said lever is adapted to be operated upon by a cam 23 formed as an integral upper extension of the hasp 9, the cam 23 moving within the lower open end of the slide 8 and being guided by the shaped portion 24 thereof.

In the position of the hasp in Fig. 2 the cam 23 thereof has positively rocked the lever I4 whose inner end transmits pivotal movement to the pawl and causes its nose I9 to disengage the ratchet teeth 5 against the action of its associated spring 22. In this position the slide 8 can telescope within the casing 3, the ratchet action being inoperative.

When the hasp is moved into fastening position with the bolt of the lock I3 as illustrated at Fig. l, the cam 23 has moved away from the lower end of the lever I4 and the power of the pawl spring 22 presses the nose I9 into frictional engagement with the ratchet teeth and simultaneously moves the lever away. In this position the lid of the case can be further collapsed but cannot be extended and strain upon the extensible fittings tending to produce an extension between the casing 3 and the slide 8 will intensify the pressure that the pawl nose IS exerts upon the teeth 5, because the pawl is pivoted at the upper end of the slide and the strain produced by extending forces between the elements of the fastenings places the pawl in a state of compression between its nose and its point of pivoting.

In Fig. 4, which illustrates a hinge fastening, the lower end of the slide 8 has an attachment plate or ap 25 hingedly connected thereto instead of the hasp shown in Figs. 1-3. The attachment plate 25 also includes a nose 2S on which the case is adapted to rest when the flap is applied to the back of the body 2 of the collapsible trunk.

Referring to Fig. 5 which embodies the essentials of the invention, the hasp fastening is modified by the coupling means interposed between the cam of the hasp 9 and the pawl. The modification consists in the employment of a slidable link 26, mounted within the slide in guides 27 shaped out of the metal thereof, and the inner end of said link is inclined at 28 and is forked so as to bear against the plate surface 2I of the pawl illustrated at Fig. 7. The lower end of the link 26 is reduced in width to form a T shape which lies within a slot 29 formed in the cam 23 of the hasp with the head of the T engaging the lower face of cam 23. Thus, when the hasp is in the released or unfastened position as illustrated the link 26 is positively slid upwardly by the slotted cam so that its inclined end 28 positively moves the nose I9 of the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 5, whereas when the hasp 9 is moved into the fastening position to be engaged by the bolt of the lock as in Fig. 1, the force of the pawl spring 22 moves the link 25 downwardly so that the pawl engages the ratchet teeth in the manner hereinbefore explained, and any strain between the slide 8 and the casing 3 tending to extend the fastenings intensifies the pressure with which the pawl engages the ratchet teeth.

With reference to Fig. 6, a lever I4 is employed as a means for the automatic operation of the pawl through the cam 23 of the hasp 9. In this example, the lever I4 is fulcrumed at 3G to the face of the slide 8 so as to rock transversely thereof and a pawl 3! is pivoted by the pin 32 on the upper end of the lever and operated upon by the torsional spring 22. The cam 23 at the inner end of the hasp is in the form of a'horn or heel and operates upon the outer end of the lever. In the position of the parts as illustrated,

the hasp 9 is in the fly-off or open position as indicated previously by Figs. 2, 3, and 5, the horn 23 having positively rocked the lever I4 and its pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 5. In the reverse position of the hasp the power of the torsional spring 22 associated with the pawl rocks the lever I4 into a position where the pawl is pressed into engagement with the teeth 5 and the same conditions prevail when strain is applied between the slide 8 and the casing 3 as hereinbe-fore set forth.

I-Iaving now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

Extensible hasp and hinge fittings comprising in combination an elongated casing provided with a line of ratchet teeth, an elongated hollow slide telescopically fitting the casing, a coupling member movably mounted in the slide and consisting of a rst order lever fulcrumed transversely to the slide and rockable longitudinally thereof, a spring pressed pawl mounted on the slide so as to move therewith and pivoted in rela* tion to the ratchet teeth so that strain tending to extend the ttings further presses the pawl into engagement with the teeth, a member hinged at the outer end of the slide, and a cam provided on the hinged member and adapted to operate on the coupling lever to control the action of the pawl.

CHARLES WILLIAM CHENEY. 

